


A Long Search For Happiness

by A_Marlene_S



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-20
Updated: 2020-07-15
Packaged: 2020-09-19 10:31:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 20,781
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20329675
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/A_Marlene_S/pseuds/A_Marlene_S
Summary: How could someone have everything yet feel as if they have nothing? Yusei has the dream job, a good home and yet friends nowhere to be seen. Carly lost her dream job, close to losing her home and surrounded by people who care for her. Could one and the other compensation for this?





	1. Chapter 1

A Long Search of Happiness

-.-.-

**D/C**: I own nothing

-.-.-

Yusei Fudo stared at the computer screen that alerted him of several new notifications and the red light signaling for new voicemails just for him to read. Instead of reading any of them, the researcher deleted emails that was relevant to him asking him for an interview. Out of perhaps over a hundred emails, only four of them had to do with his job. Now… to go through all the voicemails. "Interviews… I do not do interviews."

Yusei's office has metallic walls, two giant windows on the back wall behind Yusei's desk. The furniture in the room was a mainly glass and metal, giving the office a look of a futuristic look. At the far right of the room is a metal door that blended into the wall.

"You do realize the longer you prolong giving an interview, the text, calls, emails or requests will continue on along with the rumors," Mina Simington said entering the office watching Yusei listen and delete voicemail after voicemail. She looked down at her tablet to hide a smirk and to ignore the glare her boss sent her. "Not all reporters are that bad."

"They are like a pack of animals that constantly hunt me down and mix my words," Yusei repressing a shiver, he pressed the delete button on the office phone to get rid of another interview request. "I found a couple of them snooping into my trash the other day and you have heard the stories they set out of my _past_."

"Which is why you need to have an interview with someone to set it right," Mina looked over at Yusei with a look of hesitation, she glanced down back at her tablet. On the tablet is an empty blog that looked like it seen better days. "I know someone that could do it, you don't have to worry about any blasphemy."

Yusei shot her a questioning look, his brows furrowed thinking it over. The more he thought about it, the more it seemed not so appealing.

Mina let out an annoyed breath, she rubbed her forehead with the back of her hand. "Okay, this is how it is...I owe my friend a **huge** favor for getting me this job. She was the one that informed me of this job and got me said job."

Yusei stared blankly at Mina taking in her words. He mentally went over just how Mina became his primary assistant, all he was getting was a blank mostly. The position was not exactly made to publicize, all he remembered was how his friends kept on complaining how disorganized everything was, and he needed someone to help him out…

"How did she found out about that?" Yusei asked he leaned back in his chair with a blank expression. "From what I remember and told me it was Jack that dragged you here and told me you are to help me for now on."

"To be perfectly honest, she has ways of finding out things even you don't want to know." Mina sighed, hiding behind her tablet. "Believe me, you will save yourself a headache later on.

Mina then puts down her tablet away from her face, tightly gripping it as she spoke to her boss. "Carly found out about it from Jack, she knew that I needed a job after… Jack more or less no longer needed my assistance. She managed to convince him to get me this employment..."

"Carly?" Yusei thought over the name in his mind, just where had he heard that name before. "Where have I heard that name before?"

"Her full name is Carly Carmine." Mina let out a sigh, she explained to Yusei just who Carly fully knew he had understood just how Carly fit into everyone from her knowledge. "She's a great reporter just has the worst of luck. "Carly was fired… again… from her job and I and a neutral friend of ours managed to convince her to go solo. All she needs is one shot to get herself back on her feet."

"A reporter…."

"I swear you could be just as bad as Jack…" Mina expatriated throwing her arms into the air, she turned around to head out of the office. "Men!"

Another ding notified Yusei of a new email, judging by the growl, it was another request for an interview. Mina glanced back at Yusei with curious eyes, grinning when she saw Yusei looking glumly towards her. "So… interview?"

"Fine."

-.-.-

"This is horrible…" The one and only Carly Carmine bemoaned in total dismay, sitting in the middle of her small rink a dink apartment. In front of her is her laptop opened to a blog of her own creation. The only stories she had posted were simple stories that ranged from street duels to upcoming events, but no one wants to read them. Not enough excitement, pizzazz, and the tales are not tall enough.

All the articles she ever wrote while she was employed are no longer considered her otherwise, she would be sued… even though she wrote them. Carly scanned her blog wondering how she was going to support herself now. She still had a couple of articles that were all so tempting to post on her blog but said stories are private and they are not fully done to her taste. For that reason, Carly is currently sulking in her apartment and wondering just how she was going to provide for herself. Her previous boss had demanded said articles from her and one thing led to another… Here she was, jobless and close to losing her apartment.

"I am going to lose everything… again!" Carly softly banged her head against the palm of her hand, trying to think of her next big scoop. Nothing really came up to mind, it has been quiet in the last month or so. "Why can't I do anything right?"

A soft ringing interrupted Carly thought, she reached into a pocket inside of her vest and pulled out her phone. "Hello…? Mina…? What do you mean…? You mean it…? YES!"

Carly shot up from her seat and did a little dance around her apartment. "Thank you, Mina! You don't know how much this means to me!"

With a tap, Carly ended the call and squealed aloud with complete glee. "A scoop! A scoop!"

-.-.-

Mina smugly ended the call from her end, placed her phone in her pocket and stood up. She glanced around her own personal desk that was just outside of Yusei's office. There are pictures around her desk, which mostly compromised of herself, friends and family. Just random snapshots of her life decorated around her area.

Standing up, Mina picked up her tablet and headed into Yusei's office. Not even bothering to knock, she opened the door and entered. "Everything is set; all I need now is a date?"

Yusei looked away from his computer screen with a questioning look. "What?"

"I need to know when you want to do the interview to fit it into your scheduled." Mina said, looking through her tablet and pulled up Yusei's schedule.

Yusei ran a hand through his hair taking that in. He did not think it would be this fast and now here it was. "Tell me again, just how well do you know this reporter?"

"She's a good friend of mine."

"Besides her being your friend, just who exactly is she as a person?"

"… You just have to find that out for yourself." Mina finally responded after a short period of silence. After knowing Yusei for this long, she knew no matter what she says to Yusei. He will not fully believe her word when it comes to people. He had to fully see just who Carly Carmine for himself. "Do you want me to set a play date then?"

"… I don't know if I find that offensive or annoying at just how much you know me?" Yusei deadpanned, he pushed away from his desk and stood up from his swivel leather chair. "Playdate though?"

"It's just going to be the both of you get to know each other… No romance whatsoever." Mina said with a laugh. "You are just trying to figure out just who Carly Carmine is."

To be continued…

R/R.


	2. Chapter 2

A Long Search of Happiness

-.-.-

**D/C**: I own nothing

-.-.-

"Er… what?" Carly stared blankly at her friend, if she did not have her glasses on then Mina would seen the reporter's eyes giving her a deathly glare. Mina and Carly were sitting in the latter's apartment drinking tea. "Care to repeat that?"

Mina sipped her own cup of tea to hide her grin, placing the cup back down on the table on a coaster once she had her fill. She had a feeling Carly was glaring at her, who could blame her really? "Think of it as two birds and one stone. You get to go out to get your mind off things and this will help you with your blog. As long as he approves of what you upload."

"…. I so do, go out!" Carly shot up, pointing an accusing finger at Mina.

"You only go out to get the latest scoop, Carly." Mina pointed out with a small plastic spoon she was using to stir her tea with. "The only other time you do go out is when you, me and Stephanie go to the café. That doesn't even count!"

Carly slammed her head against her desk, she swore when the table groaned in protest. The table was actually on its last legs and she wouldn't be surprised if the table would actually break. "Who brought this up? You or Mr. Fudo."

"Mr. Fudo?" Mina raised an eyebrow at Carly, who raised her head at an angle which allowed her to see the reporter's gray eyes. For as long as she'd known Carly, if one would see her eyes then you could easily tell how she was feeling. Mina swore the main reason she wears such thick and opaque glasses is to hide that part of herself.

"He's a scientist and deserves such ranking." Carly muttered hiding her face again from Mina with a grumble.

"Just call him by his name," Mina said, she poked Carly's head with her spoon. "So…? Are you going to take the offer?"

"…As bad as this sound…This could the biggest break in my life and get me out of this dump." Carly voiced was muffled, there was a shake in her voice from what Mina could tell. "I'm going to fail…He's going to hate me… I'm never going to get my biggest scoop…"

Mina facepalmed as Carly went on and on about how everything was going to end so wrong for her. With a sigh, Mina quickly stood up, slamming her hands against the table and at that instant the table broke. Mina only heard a loud squeal and a crash. The next thing she saw is Carly crumpled over the now broken table groaning in pain. "Oops…Sorry."

"Tell that to my bleeding head."

-.-.-

"Finally! You are getting a life!"

Yusei pulled away from his cell phone away from his ear, he swore that calling Kiryu was a very bad idea. He leaned against the island in the middle of his kitchen in his upscale apartment. The apartment has large open windows, light-colored walls, and dark-colored modern furniture. The apartment has an open feeling to it but at the same time appears to be closed off. "It's not an actual date, I am just going to see just who this person is."

"Date," Kiryu responded from the other side of the line. "This is a date~ When is this taken place? Where is this taken place? You have to be…"

Yusei resisted the urge to end the call but fully knowing that it would end with more headaches later. "You know how much I distrust people that attempt to probe into my past. The only reason I am doing this is to get rid of the constant pestering from others for an interview. Mina is the one that set this whole thing up."

"Who is this reporter? Tell me! Tell me! Tell me!"

"Her name is Carly Carmine." Yusei replied tension filled the air as Kiryu did not respond for what seemed like the longest time. "…Do you know her?"

"She's a reporter, I think I once read a couple of her articles previously." Kiryu responded cheerfully. Yusei could tell that there was something else hidden behind the false smile. "She's great at what she does but…eh, you have to figure that out yourself."

"So you do know her." Yusei stated.

"My lips are sealed. See ya!" Kiryu hung up the phone from his own end.

Yusei pulled his cell phone away from his ear and stared at it. Instead of getting some sort of peace of mind of talking to a friend, now his mind is now filled with more questions than actual answers. Which he suspected that Kiryu knew something about the reporter, Carly Carmine. Now all he has are far more questions than he wanted. "Kiryu… Just what do you know?"

With a shake of his head, Yusei stuffed his cellphone in his pants pocket. He looked around his apartment with tired eyes, the place just seems so empty in his eyes. Too quiet, for his own taste. Without much else of a thought, Yusei decided to make a couple of rounds the city.

-.-.-

"Is this necessary Mina?" Carly hissed into Mina's ear, tugging on the other woman's arm. Mina had managed to drag Carly to a boutique that was clearly out of Carly's payroll. Her _now_nonexistent payroll. "I can't even afford half the things in this place."

"Don't worry about it." Mina waved her off, while she dragged her friend towards the section that had dresses. "Oh! Look at this!"

Carly couldn't help but groan in complete dismay. "I don't really do dresses…"

"There is nothing wrong with trying them on, try this one?" Mina picked out a short black and blue ruffled short-sleeved dress. Said dress caused Carly to blush heavily as it was something, she would never be caught dead in.

"No! No, no, no, no!" Carly shook her head at the notion of seeing the dress. "It's…no…"

"You're right." Mina hummed thoughtfully, she placed the dress back and picked another dress out that made Carly's jaw drop in a complete panic. "How about this one?"

"NO!"

This continued for what seemed like forever for Carly, Mina would pick a dress and she would quickly reject everything. Mina had enough of this, she picked a random outfit, shoving it into Carly's arms and pushed her into a dressing room. "Change!"

"Mina!" Carly cried out as she was pushed into the dressing room. "I don't want to do this…"

"Just change into the outfit or you are not coming out of there." Mina warned Carly. "I am going to look for more clothes and when I come back, I expect you to be changed into that outfit. Got it."

"Got it…" Carly replied glumly, she looked at the bundle of clothing in her arms with mass embarrassment. It only got worse for her as she looked through each item. Although said articles of clothing are pretty by all accounts, just something she never thought of wearing herself. A daisy printed short sleeved crop top, khaki high waist button shorts, and a thin black leather belt. "At least it's not that mini black dress…"

-.-.-

Yusei rode around the city in his D-Wheeler to clear his mind. He already managed to make a complete lap twice around the city and he is still nowhere near to a clearing his mind. Mina had set the first so-called _playdate_. No matter how many times he attempted to change Mina's mind about the term that was used for this get-together, it is considered to her and now by Kiryu… a _playdate_. To him, they are seeing this as some sort of joke. Do they not understand he is about to speak to someone that could make his life impossible? Well, not as worse than it used to be.

Still, all Yusei want's is to have people stop constantly asking for interviews and so. Although he knew this will open the door for more trouble, something he wanted to avoid since the get-go. Now he must wonder just why he even agreed to it in the first place.

Stopping at a red light, Yusei looked around looking for a place to eat. He had forgotten to eat lunch that day and his stomach made it well known.

"Mina!"

"Just get out there, Carly!"

Yusei turned his head at the familiar voices, he saw Mina pushing a semi-familiar flustered female out of a boutique. Said female kept covering herself with her arms and a dark brown floppy hat. It was only when Mina took the hat away that her friend ran back inside the boutique in a hurry. Mina only shook her head at her friend's antics, she looked up to see a familiar D-Wheeler.

Seeing that he got staring, Yusei gave a short wave. Mina, in turn, waved back and pointed up towards the street light. Yusei turned his head to see that the light had turn green and he quickly sped off. His thoughts went back to Mina's friend…

-.-.-

"I am actually surprised she still hasn't remembered anything from that point. Considering…"

"Considering that the rest of us remember everything that occurred to us at that time? Everything will come back to her. We just have to wait."

"I don't like waiting~"

"What is the actual reason you are calling me, Kiryu?"

"What? Can't an old friend just call their good friend without raising an eyebrow, Misty?"

"Do you actually want me to answer that?"

"Actually, I wanted to tell you that our good friend Carly is in need of help."

To be continued…

R/R.


	3. Chapter 3

A Long Search for Happiness

-.-.-

D/C: I own nothing

-.-.-

Carly fiddled with her new brown floppy hat, she looked nervously around Café le Geen looking for someone. Seeing that said person was not in the café, she let out a sigh of relief at that. Waving at her friend, Stefanie, who pointed at an empty table at the back of the café. Private and intimate, depending on who you ask. This only made Carly's nerves go on overload. 'This is just a formality…this is just a formality…'

'This would have been so much better if I was in my normal clothing.' Carly thought she was dressed in the clothing that Mina bought for her from that expensive boutique. A daisy printed short sleeved crop top, khaki high waist bottom shorts, a thin black leather belt, and a pair of suede ankle boots. 'At least I kept my glasses and my hair…'

"Well, well, well… Don't you look adorable." Stefanie giggled, walking up to her friend. "Ready for your date?"

"It's a play date!" Carly sprang up from her spot and pointed an accusing finger at her. Fortunately for her, she is a regular at the café and no one paid her no mind.

"So you finally admit it?" Stefanie bounced in her spot.

"Wait…no! It's not like that!" Carly slumped down on her seat and laid her head on the table. "You are just as bad as Mina…She told you, didn't she?"

"Yep, I am here to keep her updated." Stefanie wrote down a couple of things in her notepad. "Not only you, but also Yusei. If he even tries to make an escape, then I will call Mina and she'll take care of it."

"You know…It's rather intimidating how Mina could have this much power over us." Carly looked up at her friend, her glasses had slid down her nose to show off her gray eyes. Her vision blurred, but she could tell that her friend was still in front of her. "Get a grilled cheese sandwich and a small coffee…"

Silence… Carly brows furrowed, typically Stefanie would remark about her choice of food. Now she got was silence. That was when she saw a dark blurry figure standing behind Stefanie. Quickly, Carly lifted her glasses back in place and saw a familiar figure. There stood Yusei Fudo dressed in a gray buttoned up shirt with the top button left unbuttoned, a leather jacket, a pair of dark colored jeans, and of leather boots. He was giving her a look of astonishment and Carly swore to herself that she should have kept her glasses off. "Oh dear…"

"Mina got to you too?" Yusei asked he fiddled with his shirt to regain his composure. The response he got from the gray-eyed female her hiding behind the familiar floppy hat. "Carly Carmine?"

"Present." Carly peeked over her hat nervously. "Mr. Fudo?"

Standing behind Yusei, Stefanie slapped her forehead. The noise caused Yusei to turn around to look at Stefanie. The waitress quickly went back to normal sending her a nervous smile. "Take a seat, and here's a menu!"

Yusei didn't comment on her behavior but did what he was told. He sat across of Carly taking the menu. "Thank you."

Stefanie gave him a huge smile, she began to walk off and once she was out of Yusei's eyesight she gave Carly a thumbs up. This caused Carly to once more to slam her head against the table.

-.-.-

"I'm telling you, Kiryu… Yusei's love life is totally down the drain." Mina leaned all the way back on her swivel chair. She had an office phone against her ear while she looked through her personal phone with her other hand. "Not once has he ever paid attention of any females, believe me. Women will try anything to catch his eye. Nothing."

"I know~ He's always been such a prude." Kiyru responded from the other side of the line. "Even if there is some sort of attraction between him and Akiza…I don't see it happening any time soon…At all."

"Ugh, …sounds like what is _not_ happening with Carly and Jack." Mina said with a groan, she let out a squeal at a text she just received from Stefanie. The text was mostly compromised of an emoji that was smiling excessively. It wasn't the emoji that caught Mina's attention, it was the pictures that Stefanie sent her. The first picture is of Carly hiding behind her hat leaning away from Yusei, the second picture is Yusei reaching out towards the hat with a playful smile, the next one is the both playing tug-a-war with said item and the final picture is Yusei wearing the hat triumphantly with Carly giggling in the background. "Ah~"

"Mina! What is happening! Tell me~~" Kiyru complained from the other line.

"Just wait a sec…" Mina fiddled with her phone for several seconds. "I am going you a couple of photos."

A minute or so later, Kiryu was heard squealing. "This is adorable!"

Mina had to pull away from the phone from her ear at how loud it was. This seemed to go on for several minutes and Mina swore by now Kiryu was doing it to annoy her. "Are you done?"

"Mina…I have an idea…." Kiryu stated seriously, unnerving Mina to a high degree.

"What is it?" Mina responded, mentally debating whether she should keep the phone away from her ear for her own safety.

"It's about these two…"

-.-.-

"It took me three days to find my cards after Crow hid them from me." Yusei recounted a story to Carly about one of his many misadventures growing up. Carly giggled at Yusei misfortune in the story. This continued for what seemed like forever, but neither of them had taken note of time. The only thing that counted is the laughter they both shared. "After I found them, I hide Crow's own card and it took him nearly a month to find his."

"Okay, okay, I…I think I have one." Carly attempted to calm herself down from her fits of laughter. She began to recount a story that happened to her in her childhood, Yusei paid full attention to her, nodding and saying the right words to the right parts. All the while they spoke, Stefanie reported back to Mina and snapping pictures of them. It appeared all previous tension and uneasiness are all gone. It was all replaced by mirth and tranquility.

-.-.-

"What time is it?"

"It's…that can't be right?" Yusei had pulled time his phone and sat it was middle of the afternoon. He arrived at the café several hours ago, where exactly did the time pass by? One moment he was trying to get Carly to talk without stumbling over her own words and to stop hiding behind her hat. To them talking away about anything to everything. "Whoa… I hoped I did not keep you for too long."

"Wha-" Carly pulled out her own phone to see the time. "Oh…Sorry for keeping you for this long!"

Yusei waved his hands in front of him, trying to get Carly to stop apologizing. He couldn't help but chuckle at Carly spazzing out. Not wanting her to accidentally hurt herself accidentally, Yusei reached out grabbing hold of Carly's hand and rested their hands on top of the table. "It's fine, we both lost track of him."

"Ah…"

"Don't you two look so adorable." Stefanie suddenly appeared, smiling far too widely for anyone's taste. "Seems like this play date went very well."

-.-.-

"I hate you…" Carly said under her breath as she and Stefanie waved at Yusei, who drove away in his D-Wheeler. "I really hate you right now."

"Oh hush." Stefanie nudged Carly with her elbow. "You two seemed to hit it off well... Better than I originally thought."

Carly placed her floppy hat on, she couldn't help but smile. Her expression quickly turned to one of complete dismay. She grabbed hold of Stefanie's shoulders and shook her continuously. "Stefanie~ Did I do well? What if I freaked him out? I embarrassed myself in front of him! What if he won't help me? Ugh…. Why do these types of things happen to me?"

After Carly stopped shaking her, along regaining her sense what is up and what is down, Stefanie grabbed hold of Carly's own shoulders. She stared directly into Carly's eyes, during the struggle her glasses had slid down her nose and stated sternly. "Carly, listen. Everything went well between both of you. This is just a formality, and everything went well. Go back to your apartment and call Mina. Okay?"

"Okay…" Carly said, not really feeling reassured about the whole thing.

-.-.-

"How did it go~?"

"It went…well…"

"That's it? Well?"

Yusei sat in his office in his office in his apartment, it had a similar look to his own office at his workplace. Sitting on swivel chair casually, Yusei held his phone against his ear as he talked to Kiryu about his _play date_. "To tell you the truth…I enjoyed it. Carly… is truly…unique."

"Unique in a good way or…?" Kiryu asked, wanting to know Yusei's response.

"Good. All good." Yusei responded back, his eyes wandered around his desk and falling on the picture frames that decorated the desk. Pictures of the other signers, friends, and people he considers like family. In one particular picture is one of him and Akiza, they were sitting on a couch back at Poppo Time. Still taking to Kiryu, Yusei reached over and placed the photo frame down so could no longer see the photo. "It actually went off better than I originally thought."

"That's Carly for yeah." Kiryu said with a soft sigh.

"Kiryu…How well do you know Carly?" Yusei asked and even though they were talking through the phone, he could tell Kiryu went tense. "Kiryu?"

"I would tell you, but it is not the time or my place to say." Kiryu finally responded.

-.-.-

"That was so adorable~!" Mina grinned happily, she scooped up a spoonful of ice-cream. She and Carly were sitting on her patched worked couch, eating away ice-cream and talking about Carly's playdate. "What happened after that?"

"We started talking about past adventures." Carly pointed her spoon at Mina, kicking her feet in front of her as she recounted her day to Mina. "Just random things really."

"You had a good time though…right?" Mina questioned her, her brows were furrowed as she focused on Carly's expression for a response.

"Yeah…" Carly shrugged, not really paying attention to Mina. She was more focused on her ice-cream than on the strange looks that Mina is giving her. When she finally took note of it, Carly raised an eyebrow at Mina. "Mina…why are you looking at me that way?"

"I haven't seen you smile like this for a long while…" Mina responded, pointed her own spoon at Carly.

Carly blushed lightly, she wanted to say something in retort but did not know what to say. To prevent herself from saying something that could be used against her, Carly quickly stuffed a spoonful of ice-cream into her mouth. "Hm? Hmn, hm."

"Seriously… There's a sparkle in your eye and we are going to work on that?"

"Hm?"

"More play dates!" Mina squealed out, she stood up from her spot and took out her phone.

"Hm!" Carly shook her head repeatedly, she tried to get up, but she kept tripping over her own feet. After she finally swallowing her ice-cream, Carly finally used her voice to express her disapproval. "Don't! It's still too soon for that!"

"It's never too soon." Mina said, she scurried out towards Carly's room and closing the door behind herself.

Carly heard an audible click signifying Mina had locked the door. With a groan, the gray-eyed female wondered around her rundown apartment. Leaning against her sink, she glanced over at her fridge to see multiple pictures, news clippings and coupons stuck to it with magnets. One particular picture is one of Jack sitting on her couch, with her laptop on his lap. He was reading one of her many stories... She thinks…

Carly tightly gripped the sink with her right hand and used her left to cover her mouth. She doesn't remember taking that photo or remembering which article Jack is currently reading. There are blanks in her memory and looking at her fridge doesn't help. The entire fridge is decorated with seemingly random items but pays closer attention then you could see that all of them are from the same time period. A time period in Carly's life that is a giant blank… The items are simply reminders of that time. With a shaky breath, Carly pushed away from the sink and picked up the trash can that was underneath the sink. Carly threw out each item not wanted to see what she was throwing out. When she finally made it to the main picture of Jack, Carly stared at the photo momentarily before she threw it in the trash too. As much she wanted to keep all the items, but it feels as if they are weighing her down. Old memories and new memories, not enough time to reminisce.

"Carly, you have another play date planned. That means more shopping!" Mina called out, peeking her head out of the previously locked room.

Out of complete hysteria, Carly shoved all pictures, news clippings, coupons, and even the magnets into the trash bin. "Get out."

"I know where you keep the extra key and I have my lock picking kit on me."

"…Do I have to…?" Carly's head drooped down dejectedly. She knew full well there was no way she could get out of this.

"Yes, yes you do. I was going through your wardrobe and you need a new set of everything. Especially some good lingerie…." Mina trailed off thoughtfully, thinking what Carly would need to get for their next shopping trip. She didn't pay attention to Carly who was now dry heaving over the sink.

"Why would I need to get…_that_!" Carly yelped out, clutching her heart feeling her heartbeat go a hundred miles a second. "We are shopping for the play dates, not for a…a…guah!"

"You have such an imagination, who said I was implying that?"

"That is it! Get out!"

To be continued…

R/R.


	4. Chapter 4

A long Search for Happiness

-.-.-

D/C: I own nothing

-.-.-

"This is such a strange thing for you to do?" Kiryu mused, following Yusei into a clothing shop. He giggled behind his hand, to hide his smile from Yusei. Yusei in turn only rolled his eyes at his friend's antics. He tugged down on a dark gray beanie to hide his highly noticeable hair, along with that he also wore a blue-gray t-shirt, a pair of fitted dark wash jeans, along with that he also wore the same leather jacket and leather boots. "Asking for help with shopping? Especially about clothing."

"Shut up…" Yusei muttered under his breath, he headed towards the back of the store in hopes to not be seen by other shoppers. The last thing he needed is to be hounded by fans or reporters. Worse yet, if what Mina had said to him is right, Carly will find out what he is doing even if he managed to stay down low. From what he was told, Carly has the uncanny ability to know such information on anyone that is on her radar. "Help me."

"Right, of course." Kiryu started with a light laugh, his eyes sparkled with mischief. "Have to make sure you look suitable for your next play date with Carly dearest."

"You never did tell me how you know her." Yusei muttered under his breath, just loud enough for Kiryu to hear him. His nose scrunched up at the sight of all the various styles of shirts. 'This is going to be harder than I originally thought…'

"How about this?" Kiryu quickly pulled out a pair of jeans for Yusei to change the subject.

Yusei turned around to see Kiryu holding up a pair of a banana yellow-colored jeans that made him cringed inwardly. There was in no way he would ever wear such an item. The color is something he never ever imagined himself wearing. "No."

"Ah, come on. I bet it will look good on you." Kiryu pouted, he started to nudge Yusei with the hanger that the pants were on. Yusei turned around to continue his search for a 'nice' shirt. "I bet Carly would like you in these…"

Yusei froze in his spot, he mentally debated whether he should turn around again to look at the pants again. He wanted to look nice for his next play date, but… that pair of pants… "I don't know about that Kiryu. Something else."

"One day Yusei, one day I will get you to wear this." Kiryu stated, he placed the yellow-colored jeans back on the rack.

"You never answered my question."

"… To be perfectly honest… I knew her in a past life." Kiryu stated under his breath, his entire demeanor shifted to one filled with regret.

Taking note of Kiryu's regretful tone, Yusei decided to drop the subject with a sigh. This was supposed to be a nice outing with one of the only friends that he keeps constant contact with. Now said friend is sulking and not his usual annoying and go-lucky self. With a sigh, Yusei turned around and took hold of the pair of pants that Kiryu had previously shown him. "What did you say about Carly liking this?"

Kiryu let out a loud squeal and started to pick articles of clothing he knew would look good on Yusei. Yusei, in turn, became a pack mule and had to carry everything that Kiryu pulled from the racks. With a shake of his head, Yusei followed Kiryu around the store.

-.-.-

"Yusei is shopping."

"You know something, Carly… You should become a detective with that uncanny ability of yours." Mina deadpanned, glancing over to see Carly looking through her phone. "Is he shopping with someone?"

"…."

"Carly?" Mina looked over at Cary again when the other woman did not respond. Carly kept her gaze on her phone, while tightly gripping it. "Carly…?"

Mina walked up to Carly and glanced down at her phone. She arched an eyebrow at what Carly was looking at. "Kiryu Kessler? Do you know him?"

"I don't remember." Carly stated, looking at the screen of her phone. "I feel like I know him, but I can't remember from where. You know how I always remember every face I've ever met. Do you know him?"

"He's ah…er…" Mina coughed into her hand, she looked away from Carly when she looked at her. "To put it bluntly…Yusei and Kiryu are like… ah…brothers?"

-.-.-

"I am not going to wear that!"

"Yes, you are!"

"You can't ma…. What are you doing? Kiryu…?"

"Hehehe…"

"Oh no…"

"Oh yes!"

-.-.-

"Thanks again for helping me Mina…I'll pay you back as soon as I could." Carly said carrying multiple bags filled with groceries up to her apartment. Mina walked alongside her, carrying a couple of bags herself.

Mina chuckled momentarily to only appease Carly, inwardly she knew her friend will have difficulty paying her back. Although Carly had managed to get her blog up and get a decent amount of money, she managed to get in is not enough per se to get by. Of course, she has enough to get the necessities, but with her luck… yeah. Luck has never really been on Carly's side.

Once they entered the apartment, Mina took note of several letters on the floor which Carly ignored due to her being primarily focused on her groceries. Mina stood back momentarily ensuring that Carly was out of sight. Placing her own bags down and picked up the letters. Many of them had the words 'Final Notice' stamped on them in bright red ink. With a frown, Mina placed the letters on a small stand near the door and picked up the groceries. "Carly, we need to talk."

"About what?"

"I want you to move in with me."

"Eh?"

To be continued…

R/R.


	5. Chapter 5

A Long Search for Happiness

-.-.-

D/C: I own nothing

-.-.-

"Are you sure you want me to move in with you, Mina?" Carly asked her friend while she was using duct tape to tape a cardboard box shut. She grabbed a marker from her back pocket to write 'Computer' and 'Fragile' on it. "I could go to a motel."

"Save your money, Carly. Pay me back once you become an ultra-famous blogger." Mina waved Carly off, she picked up another cardboard box and placed it in the living space of the apartment. "Let me do this for you, Carly. Consider this as a huge thank you for getting me my job…my very good paying job. Plus you could temporarily pay me back by dressing into what I tell you to wear for now on."

Carly paused; she slowly turned around to see Mina hold up several articles of clothing. A simple white V-neck t-shirt drape front, a yellow colored blazer, a dark blue mini floral skirt, strappy black sandals, and another floppy straw hat, Carly debated whether she'd still had time to run away. "No…"

"Yes…Now go take a shower and get ready for your next date." Mina said shoving the items into Carly's arms. She then started to push her into the bathroom, ignoring Carly's words of protest. "Get ready, Yusei should be here soon."

-.-.-

"This place looks…" Yusei muttered under his breath, walking out of a sleek two passenger vehicle. With the reflection of the car to recheck himself, he is white V-neck t-shirt, dark blue floral printed short sleeved unbuttoned shirt, the same yellow jeans that Kiryu picked out and his leather boots. On top of his head is a simple panama hat. "I hope I don't get recognized."

Ring~ Ring~ Ring~

Yusei reached into his back pocket and took out his cellphone and placed it into his ear. "Hello?"

"Yusei! Are you at Carly Dear's apartment?" Kiryu sang out from his end of the line.

"I'm outside." Yusei responded he walked towards the rundown apartment complex. He mentally prepared himself to go up to see Carly. Nerves started to come over him with every step he took. "Now I am walking up towards her apartment."

"Good. Remember, be a complete gentleman. She is always right…" Kiryu trailed on and on about what he should do and what he should not do for 'playdate'. Yusei nose scrunched up at how his friend called it. Playdate. He could let it go the first time around, but now he rather acut… Yusei quickly shook his head to get rid of that thought process. As much he wanted that to change the status, Carly also must think that way too. For now, he would have to stick with playdates. "Are you still listening to me Yusei?"

"No." Yusei responded truthfully to his friend, he finally made it to the designated apartment and stood in front of the door. "I'm here. I'll talk to you later."

"Just remember what I said~" Kiryu sang out before he hanged up.

Yusei only shook his head as he put his phone back in his pocket. Staring at the door, he took in several deep breaths to mentally preparing himself and that only caused him to be more nervous. Today's plans involve a short drive around the city, a walk around the park and lunch. He would have preferred to be driving around on his D-Wheeler, but Mina annexed that and had him rent an actual car. A walk in the park? When was the last time he could be out in the open without being mobbed by fans and paparazzi? He lost count all the times he was mobbed; Yusei did not want that to happen today.

Letting out a soft sigh, Yusei knocked on the door and waited. He heard loud whispers coming from the inside of the apartment. There was a loud screech, crashes and other noises that have Yusei debating if he should break down the door in worry. Before that could occur, the door opened to reveal a grinning Mina. "Hiya Yusei, you're here early."

"Is everything okay…?" Yusei took a quick peek into the room to see that everything was packed up into boxes. "What's going on?"

Mina turned around to see all packed-up boxes around the small apartment. "Oh, Carly is moving in with me."

"Is everything okay with Carly?" Yusei asked worriedly, thinking of all the reasons why would Carly move out of her apartment?

"I'll talk to you about it at a later time." Mina replied she motioned for Yusei to enter the apartment. "Come in, Carly is still getting ready."

Yusei entered the apartment and made sure not to step over anything. He took note of the condition of the apartment, along with what was left of the furniture. Well, if that is what you could call it. He didn't even want to get started with the table in the kitchen. "Wha…?"

"Ignore that…" Mina attempted to push Yusei out of the sight of the broken table. "It was an accident."

"Accident…?" Yusei said in complete disbelief.

"…I accidentally broke it."

"You broke it." Yusei deadpanned. "Why am I not surprised considering what happ-"

Smack!

"Hey!"

"We made a deal to never mention that ever again!"

Yusei only raised his hands into the hair defensively. "I don't remember making such a deal?"

Unbeknownst to them, Carly watched the entire scene and tried to stifle her giggles with her hat. Mina and Yusei acted like brother and sister, bickering brother and sister. "Hehehe."

Yusei head shot up at the sound of Carly's giggle, he turned his head to see her. He was caught off guard by the fact Carly wasn't wearing glasses, her eyes sparkled with complete mirth. "Carly."

"Hehe. You two match~" Mina laughed, pointing at the similarities to their outfits. "This is too perfect!"

Mina took out her phone and started to take photos of them, must to the chagrin of her friends. "I'm sending this to Kiryu."

"Mina!"

-.-.-

Carly and Yusei walked side to side, walking around a park telling each other random stories. Ease fell over them, the same feeling that arise from their first play date. Even if it was still early for anything but they felt at such ease with the other. There is a connection; it is just too early to see if anything could go further. Even with that, they both know this is just another form of formality. The main reason for the first play date had ulterior motives. Not bad ones, just their own personal reasons. One to get rid of the constant annoyances of people snooping into his personal life and the other one is there to gather information from the other. Personal reason that prevents them from thinking further ahead without getting personal feelings hurt. For now, they will have to see whatever they are doing leads to a good outcome on both parts.

"High School was…eh, I got picked on a lot." Carly shrugged unsure, the topic of her own childhood came up. Mainly her High School life, something that she rather relives. "I still feel like the people I met there still treat me like some sort of…well… a joke."

Yusei brows furrowed at Carly's explanation of her school life. "Was it that bad?"

"One of the said former classmates is still making my life miserable." Carly's nose scrunched up, she never liked talking about that part of her life. "A former classmate made me her rival, and she made it her life mission to ruin my career…and personal life."

"How…?"

"…Hey, look!" Carly called out pointing at something in the distance. She wrapped her arm around Yusei's own arm and started to pull him. Yusei eyes momentarily widened in surprise, he nearly tripped on his own two feet as he tried to regain his composure. "Ice-cream!"

Yusei looked over at Carly's expression to see that even if she was smiling, but it did not quite reach her eyes. He made a mental note to not talk about her school life and rivals; he doesn't want to see that type of smile ever again if he could help it.

-.-.-

"Ice-cream, ice-cream, ice-cream~" Carly hummed happily, she and Yusei sat on a random bench at the park to eating their ice-cream. She was eating a black cheery ice-cream cone while Yusei has a kiwi flavored ice-pop. "Ice-cream~"

Through the corner of his eye, Yusei watched Carly jump giddily while eating her ice-cream. He chuckled before he continued eating his ice-pop. A peaceful silence fell over them, expect Carly keeps humming about her ice-cream. They felt comfortable around each other, which was rare for them.

"Hm?"

Yusei glance over to see Carly staring at something in the distance, her brows furrowed in concentration. He looked over at the direction where Carly was looking at to see a familiar reporter along with her cameraman. His eyes widen, the last thing he needed is the playdate to be ruined by them of all people. Fortunately, or unfortunately for Yusei, Carly quickly got up, grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and dragged him towards the forested part of the park. "Carly?"

"Quiet, last thing we both need right now is being seen by them." Carly said nervously, she finished her ice-cream. She glanced back to see Angela and her camera operator had still hadn't taken notice of them yet. "Hurry."

Yusei looked down at his ice-pop before he swallowed it whole. It was rather difficult as Carly tightened his hold around the collar of his shirt. He reached over and grabbed Carly's hat to cover his oh so familiar hair from view. Carly didn't seem to even notice that she was no longer wearing said hat. Now that peaceful silence is feel with panic tension. From what Carly told him, Angela isn't the nicest person around.

"I think he's over this way."

Carly eyes widen at hearing the familiar voice. She looked around to see a bunch of tall bushes and without a second thought she threw Yusei into them. Without a second thought, Carly threw herself into said bushes and not even a second had passed that Angela along with her cameraman walk by.

-.-.-

Yusei attempted to keep his breathing straight, he tightly gripped the grass underneath his hands, keeping gaze up towards the sky in complete concentration and trying to repress a groan that threatened to escape. He was lying on his back after Carly pushed him into tall bushes that hide him then Carly after she jumped through said bushes and falling on top of him. How Carly landed on him, nearly gave their position away when Yusei nearly let out a yelp. Carly had had quickly slapped her hands over his mouth to shush him.

Several minutes had passed by before Carly rolled from Yusei and he rolled onto into a fetal position. Carly glanced over to see Yusei in said position. "Yusei? Are you okay?"

"Fine. I'm fine." Yusei piped out.

"Are you sure?" Carly asked again.

"Yes."

"Sure?"

"…Give me a moment."

-.-.-

"Where is he!?" Angela seethed under his breath. "He should be here!"

"Maybe this was just a scam." Ronald, Angela's cameraman, said to appease Angela. He only let out a sigh of defeat seeing that the blonde-haired woman continued her search for Yusei Fudo. Shaking his head, Ronald followed Angela back towards the parking lot, in hopes of seeing him there. As they headed towards said location, Ronald saw a couple about his and Angela age, leaning against a tall shady tree. He couldn't see their faces as the male has his hands on his girlfriend's face as he kissed her. With a chuckle, Ronald took out a camera and took a photo. He has been meaning to do an article about the park and he might as well take photos for it.

To be continued…

R/R.


	6. Chapter 6

A Long Search for Happiness

-.-.-

D/C: I own nothing

-.-.-

"Yusei…"

"Yusei."

"Mr. Fudo…"

"Mr. Fudo."

Bonk!

"…"

"…YUSEI!"

Yusei slowly rolled his chair around to look up over his desktop see Mina glaring at him. She had in one hand is her tablet and in the other hand is a crumpled-up piece of paper that matched the one on his desk. "What?"

"You missed three meetings, twenty phone calls, and over fifty messages this morning, Mr. Fudo." Mina stated in a clipped tone, she threw the other crumpled-up piece of paper at Yusei. It hit Yusei's face but the man in question blink rapidly at the impact and glared at the woman in front of him. "Well?"

"I got distracted." Yusei replied, he eyes darted away from Mina and that only caused Mina to raise an eyebrow at him.

"You have been like this for the last three months. You are acting like a complete love sick puppy and it only gets worse whenever Carly visits or ca…" Mina cut herself mid rant when she saw how red Yusei became when she mentioned Carly. He was blushing, genuinely blushing. Oh, this is good news. The assistant was getting worried about her friends since their play date three months ago. They maintained a good distance for the first month and mostly maintained in contact through text or emails that turned into phone calls. It didn't help how Yusei had meeting after meeting and Carly having to go out to look for the next big scoop. It appeared no matter what they did, there was no opportunity to talk face to face for whatever had happened at the park.

Heavens knows how much Mina prodded Carly for some hint or clue had at what happened. She would turn red in embarrassment and sputter out something before running out about the next big scoop. Yusei on the other hand, he had managed to master the ultimate poker face and simply ignore the question. In the last month, Mina and Kiyru had managed to make him blush slightly at the mention of Carly. Still, nothing slipped from either of Carly or Yusei's mouths about what had occurred that day. "Okay, either you tell me the reason you are acting like this or I'll give Kiryu a copy to the key of this office."

"You wouldn't…." Yusei glowered at the woman in front of him.

"Look…this is how I see it. You either tell me what is going on in that mind of yours, I'll use reverse psychology on Carly to make her talk, or…" Mina gave Yusei a challenging look to emphasize what she said next. "I will call Kiryu and have him talk to the both of you."

"…You are horrible…"

"That's why you hired me in the first place, remember?"

Yusei cursed under his breath at that, Mina had him there. If Mina hadn't turned in an application, then he would have been stuck with a ditzy secretary. He met the woman and he was not impressed…a little terrified too. The Researcher ran his hand through his hair as he thought over what he is going to say. After knowing Mina for this long, he knows that she will set things in motion. Let it be good or bad, well, depending on who is asking on the receiving end of Mina's schemes. "I…"

"I…?"

"I want to go on an official date with Carly." Yusei managed to fully get out before he lost his nerves and say something completely different than what he originally wanted to say. It wasn't exactly what he wanted to say, but it will make do. Moving from play dates to actual dates has him worried. Said worry that has apprehensive of the possible change of the relationship between him and Carly. Will it change things between? Where will they go from there? What if they get tired of each other? So many questions that has Yusei ponder of making anything official yet in the same time, he needs some type of confirmation before he could proceed forward. Then there is the big question that is has been the forefront of everything else. "But…I keep remembering the fact the reason we started going on play dates is for her to get a one on one interview. I just…"

Mina wanted Yusei slowly clench and unclench his hands as he continued to tell her all his worries and possible fears. He was worried of the possibility of Carly using whatever stepping stone to her advantage in her work. Considering the fact Carly is a reporter…blogger, this could be her way of making it big. Then there is the other issue Yusei has, he is worried about the possible outcomes if things get serious between himself and Carly. He enjoys what they have but doesn't want to say it aloud otherwise, what is built up between them will crumble down with the truth. He doesn't want to face reality if it is just going to tear everything down.

Mina raised her hand to stop Yusei from continuing, the guy was struggling to come up with the words he truly to say. She got the jest of it and it appeared she has more work than she originally thought. "First off, Carly is not like that. If she wanted money or fame, she could have published a couple of articles she has on Jack. Which is the primary reason she no longer has a job."

Taking note of Yusei's confused, Mina continued. "Carly…is…was…the biggest Jack Atlas fan ever. When he lived in her apartment, she wrote several things about him, his past, friends and so on during that time. When her former boss caught the wind, he demanded her to come up with an article on Jack. A full backstory. She refused and well…you know how that ended. No job, nearly penniless and with head held high for not complying with such demand."

"Jack lived with Carly." Yusei stated it appeared everything else Mina said went out the window. He became tense at the thought, he had heard something about Jack hiding out but did not know where exactly. "When was this?"

Mina resisted the urge to face palm, it seemed that the intense atmosphere that filled the air is now filled with a hint of jealousy. "She helped Jack escape out of a hospital and he needed a place to hide."

"That's it?"

"Nothing happened, otherwise Carly would have told me if something happened." Mina said with a tired shrug. She saw how some of the tension seemed to leave Yusei but some of it was still there. "Look back to our previous topic before you started to become the green eye monster. Carly is not what you assume to be as any stereotypical reporter willing to do anything for the next big story. Carly, does it because she loves seeing people succeed and it makes her happy. The only problem she had is making a living out of it…To end this conversation…Talk to her about this and figure out whatever happened between you and Carly the last Play Date."

"I kissed her."

"…. What?"

"I. Kissed. Her."

"YOU WHAT!"

-.-.-

"Okay…let's see what I could do with this…" Carly rubbed her hands together as she stared at Mina's desktop. She is going about to create her first official blog, and everything seemed to be going great. The former reporter now blogger, is now in Mina's residence or…their residence now. Once Carly moved in the last of her items and sign off any necessary paperwork, she going to be Mina's official roommate.

Ring-Ring-Ring.

Carly kept her gaze on the screen while she pulled out her phone to answer it. "Hello?"

"_WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME HE KISSED YOU?_"

Carly froze, she pulled the phone away from her ear to look at the screen to see a picture of Mina. Multiple thoughts ran through her mind trying to figure out why Mina is screaming through the phone. Then she remembered that Mina is currently at work…with Yusei. "Oh…"

Hesitantly, Carly placed her phone back next to her ear. "Uh…what?"

What was said on the other line made Carly blush heavily in embarrassment? "Angela was in the area…we needed to hide…. No Mina…Yes, Mina… I'm creating my blog… Right now? What do you mean! Oh, dear…you didn't…please don't…A date? Don't you mean play date…? Wait for …an actual date? Er… Yusei brought this up?"

Carly expression shifted from embarrassment to investigation mode. She will have time to worry later. Judging from Mina's voice and how she is speaking to her, there is more than what seems to be. "Oh…Oh…Ah…REALLY?"

Carly squeaked out the last part at what Mina just told her, she had managed to lean so far in the chair she had fallen backward with a loud thump. "Ow…. I'm okay... I'm fine… I'll talk to you later."

With that, Carly ended the call and allowed the cellphone to slip out of her grasp to fall onto the floor. Her eyes went wide in realization at what Mina had just informed her. Yusei wants to go on an official date; but he had to clear a couple of things before said date. A date, an actual date not a play date. That was one thing that has her mind going completely blank. What really has her head spinning is the 'talk'. That was something she was not exactly looking forward to. What exactly Yusei wants to talk about? Is it good? Bad? So-So? Then a horrifying realization hit her. "He wants me to meet Martha…"

-.-.-

"Whoa… That is one hell of a huge step, Yusei." Mina ended her call with Carly, she stared at Yusei with disbelieving eyes. Meeting the number one woman in Yusei's life is a huge step for this relationship. A very huge step.

"That's if Carly wants to have a rel…" Yusei could not say the next word out, almost as if saying that word was some sort of taboo.

"Relationship?" Mina held back as snort at how Yusei blanched at the mention of the word. "First thing first, once the air is cleared between the both of you. Which will happen and you two will become a _couple._"

"Eh…" Once again, Yusei looked apprehensive at the motion of a possibility that could be true. "Don't say it like that…"

"Fine, I get it." Mina waved her hands in front of her, she turned on her heal to leave the office. "You have an open spot in your schedule this Thursday morning, I will drop her off at that hole in the wall restaurant you like going to and the both of you will talk. Is that understood?"

"This Thursday?"

"This Thursday do no attempt evade it. I know your schedule and life." Mina didn't have to turn around to see Yusei's look of complete shock at that realization. "Be there on time."

"Of course…" Yusei replied meekly.

-.-.-

"In our defense, we were hiding from Angela and her cameraman…" Carly attempted to stop Mina rant on and on about her hiding secrets. The moment that Mina arrived from work, the woman cornered Carly and made her spill everything that occurred on the last play date. "They were looking for him…"

"And the kiss?" Mina placed her hands on her hips and looked at Carly expectantly for an answer.

"Uh…We thought we were in the clear and we weren't and uh…" Carly twiddled her fingers together trying to come up with a response. "We both kind of…uh…we both leaned in…it was nice…Very nice."

Mina was having a hard time resisting the urge of becoming a teenage girl again and gossip over a kiss. Although she is already doing that this is different. She is making sure her friends are not acting like idiots and mess up in the end by acting as such. "Kiss? Nice? Hm? Carly? Carly? Are you listening to me…? And I lost her?"

Mina facepalmed at seeing Carly staring at a random corner of the room with an evident blush. She snapped her fingers in front of Carly's face to catch her attention. "Carly!"

"Huh!" Carly flinched back, she broke out of her apparent trance and gave her friend a confused look. "What?"

"You went goo gaga over a kiss with Yusei."

"It wasn't just a ki-uh…" Whatever what Carly wanted to say, it died on her lips. She appeared to curl into herself when a sudden realization hit her. It was only a fake-out make-out, nothing more, nothing less. It was just done to hide from a common purpose of hiding; yet, after hearing what Mina told her earlier is making her changer thoughts about it. Still, there are lingering thoughts of doubt of anything but a possibility of anything more. Does she want more with Yusei? It is not an exact yes, but it is not a complete straight out no. Being around Yusei during the play dates makes her feel extremely at ease. She was still a bit of a klutz around him but not to the point of over doing it and Yusei doesn't roll his eyes at her either. Which is a huge thumb up with her… Just complete at ease. Then there's the other side of the coin. The whole reason the play dates started was to help her get a one-on-one interview with Yusei Fudo.

That's it.

Nothing more, nothing less.

Now emotions are going into play and now it's making everything feel like it's going downhill fast. Then to add into the fact Yusei dislikes reporters doesn't help anything to ease Carly's worries. She took off her trifocals and rubbed her eyes to get rid of that traitorous single tear. So many what-ifs and maybes that it has her second-guessing herself repeatedly. Does she want to have some sort of relationship with Yusei? It is an honest hesitant, she does not know. She still must deal with her past that seemed to be clutching tightly with her, no matter how much she wants to move on. Mina was right, they need to clear the air and go from there. "It was a very nice kiss…"

"Very nice?"

"Yes…very nice."

-.-.-

"YOU WHAT! YOU SCANDAL! HOW DARE YOU!"

Yusei stared at his cell phone's screen to see Kiryu yelling at him. A couple of minutes ago, Yusei decided to give his friend a call with turned into facetime screaming match on Kiryu's part. He is truly starting to regret calling the screaming friend on the other line. Then again, who could he call and talk to about what just happened?

Crow. No. Just no.

Jack. That is the last person he ever wants to speak to about on the said subject. His chest tightened with that familiar feeling of when Mina had told him Jack stayed with Carly… A feeling he does not like at all.

Akiza... No, absolutely not.

The twins? Nope.

Martha… Once everything is clear between him and Carly, he will be taking her to meet said woman once they get some things cleared up.

Then that leaves Kiryu… So much regret.

"We were hiding from a reporter and Carly's rival, we thought we were in the clear but…" Yusei cleared his throat when he saw Kiryu glaring at him from the other side of the screen. "…"

"How was it?"

"How was what?" Yusei asked, his brows furrowed at Kiryu's question.

"The kiss. How was it?"

"Uh…" Yusei's face went blank at the memory of the kiss. His eyes seemed to be glazed over at that very memory of said kiss. He snapped out his temporary trance with a shake of his head. "It was…nice."

"That's it? Nice? Give me details!"

"…Honey…"

"Honey? What does that suppose to mean?"

"She tasted like honey."

To be continued…

R/R.


	7. Chapter 7

A Long Search for Happiness

-.-.-

D/C: I own nothing

-.-.-

"Are you sure about this?"

"Yes."

"Positive?"

"I am."

"We could still turn around now if you want?"

"Carly… we are going to meet Martha, I want you to meet her. She'll love you."

"…Are you sure?"

Yusei reached over and gently took Carly's hand and gently rubbed her hand with his thumb. He kept his gaze on the road ahead of them, keeping his other hand on the steering wheel. Once again, he opted of not using his D-Wheeler for the trip to visit Martha. Both are wearing similar outfits of light blues and darker grays. If anyone asked if they purposely coordinated their outfits together, the answer is no. Their friends are the ones that pick out their clothing for them and they had little to no choice of what to wear at that point. "I want you to meet Martha, she's a very important figure in my life."

"That's why I'm scared…" Carly whispered to herself, she attempted to pull her hand away from Yusei's grasp but that appeared to be futile. Yusei kept a firm grasp and it appeared he wasn't to let go of her anytime soon. "Could you let go of my hand?"

Yusei bit back a smile the longer Carly attempted to pull her hand away from his grasp. Carly squeaked when Yusei brought her hand up to his lips and kissed the back of her hand. She could sense him smiling with the back of her hand and that smile only appears whenever he does this sort of thing. Since they are sort of gotten together… sort of… kind of… well, they never got around to confirm or deny what they are at this point.

The only thing that mainly changed since the moment that staged kiss at the park, everything yet nothing changed for them. They talk more frequently to each other, rearrange their schedules to spend more time with the other, the occasional kiss here and there, then there was the occasional date, date. Not the typical playdates they went on previously, genuine dates.

Now after for a certain amount of time and getting to know each other, Yusei stated he wanted Carly to meet Martha. From what she was told by Mina, who was told by Kiryu, that meeting Martha is a very huge step. A very huge step… a scary step…

-.-.-

Yusei sat in the corner of Martha's new kitchen, lips quirked into a silent smile as he watches Carly and Martha talk over a bowl full of cookies. They have been talking to each other for what seemed like forever and time seemed like nothing to them. All the worries Carly had previously seemed to have disappeared the moment Martha pulled her into a hug and the mention of freshly made cookies.

Now if he could get a cookie without the threat of losing his hand or be pulled into a very possible embarrassing story. It doesn't help that there are so few left and he really wants one.

"You two are so great for each other." Martha chuckled as she stood up when a timer chimed, signifying another batch of cookies are ready. Carly face turned beat red and glanced away from the older woman. Yusei's head fell forward, scratching the back of his head wondering how he should respond to that. For now, they will smile and not agree or disagree with anything that is directed towards them…. For now.

-.-.-

"Told you she'll like you." Yusei grinned when he saw Carly flush at the corner of his, he picked up a cookie from a basket that sat in between him and her. They were now driving back to the city from their visit form Martha. The entire visit went off without a single problem, per say exactly. The only issue there was the not actually denying or confirming anything to the older woman about their… _relationship_. The very word could get them both to turn red and stutter out random words. Things got better when Martha started to talk about Yusei's upbringing. Especially all the embarrassing stories, along with why he has a fear of tiny bugs.

"She's fun! Hehehe. Could we come back and visit her again?" Carly asked.

Yusei turned his attention to Carly once they came to a stop sign. He nearly lost his breath when he the light hit Carly's glasses just right for him to see her eyes. The very sight made his mind go blank, in the last couple of months from what he had heard Mina have been trying to get Carly to wear contacts. There were a few time he managed to see her without glasses but those times were so few. Everytime Yusei sees Carly's eyes, he memorizes every detail. Too bad for him, Carly looked away to focus her attention at the basket of cookies.

Yusei shook his head and focuses his attention back on the road. He chewed the inside of his cheek to reign in emotions. Give and take, it didn't help that he didn't know when a right time or a bad time is to do or say anything. He didn't want to accidentally take things too far with Carly, yet…

A sharp ringing rang throughout the interior of the vehicle.

Carly quickly dug into her pockets and pulled out her cellphone. "Mina?"

"I thought I told her to only call if there is only an emergency…" Yusei mused to himself, he snorted out a laugh when Carly nudged him with her elbow.

"Hey Mina…."

Yusei ignored the conversation, well until Carly allowed the cellphone to slip out of her fingers and it was flung towards the dashboard when he stopped the car at a red light. He blinked at the sound of something smacking the dashboard and his eyes landed on Carly's phone and Mina's voice yelling out of it. With worry, he looked over to see Carly's expression of total mortification. "Carly? What happened? What did she say?"

"There were two break-ins… One in my old apartment and the other is at Mina's apartment. Whoever they were… took all my old equipment. It's gone… Everything gone."

To be continued…

R/R.


	8. Chapter 8

A Long Search for Happiness

-.-.-

D/C: I own nothing

-.-.-

"I'll have several of my men keep an eye on the area until further notice."

Mina pinched the bridge of her nose as she took in the words of the head detective of her and Carly's case. How the hell did this occur? She lives in one of the highest protected areas in the city and the only way someone could get into the area is through a high gate, which only opens with an everchanging code. The only away someone could get in, is they knew someone from the inside. On the other side, Carly's old apartment was bound to happen. However, considering the fact Carly's apartment was broke into first then her home second brings up many questions and clues. To add to the fact the only items that were taken are both her and Carly's electronics. Computers, tablets, and any other items as such.

These people had a goal in mind and whatever it was, they took what they wanted. No jewelry was taken, 'Saving for a Rainy Day' jar is still there and anything that held any sort of value, is still there in plain view.

This brings up two possible reasons for the break-in and stolen items:

They want information on Yusei's project and so on that goes along with it. Fortunately, all said information is heavily coded and she always keeps such information on her person at all time.

The second possible reason, they wanted Carly's articles or interviews she has done previously. Majority of which have never made it out into the public eye due to how confidential it is.

Considering all the evidence and coincidences, the second reason might be the ringer for the reason for the break-in. A very possible reason…

"Do you have any idea who could possibly do this?"

"I do."

-.-.-

Yusei resisted the urge to slam his fist against the dilapidated wall. Especially at the sight of seeing Carly being so distraught at the sight of her wrecked former apartment. The apartment was mainly used to use as a storage place until Carly found a place of her own. Now it seemed to be a bad idea, everything was packed into boxes and now they are ripped open. All the items that were in them are stern around the apartment. A lot of the items are torn apart beyond recognition.

"They took my old laptop and several of my older hard drives." Carly stated in a monotone voice, tears threatened to fall down her face at the sight of her old apartment. She shakily reached up and took off her glasses to wipe her eyes with the back of her hand. "They took everything…"

Yusei pushed himself away from the wall and headed over towards Carly. He crouched next to her, placed his hand on her back and rubbed her back to soothe her. "Everything is going to be okay, we'll get new ones…"

"It's not that… I had important information in them. Old interviews, notes, information and articles that haven't been publicizing! A lot of which are not supposed to be seen by anyone else… it's all taken and… this is a disaster!" Carly wailed out, she sprung up to engulf Yusei in a tight embrace and started to cry heavily on his chest. Yusei eyes widen in shock at the sudden action and responded with encircling his arms around Carly and holding her close to himself. Once getting over his initial shock, the researcher tightened his hold on the former reporter and whispered words into her ear to soothe her.

Whoever did this is going to pay…

To be continued…

R/R.


	9. Chapter 9

A Long Search for Happiness

-.-.-

D/C: I own nothing

-.-.-

** _Jack Atlas? Who is he exactly?_ **

** _The Beginnings of Jack Atlas…_ **

** _Double Faced Atlas!_ **

Jack let out a snarl as he threw his cellphone against the wall, ignoring how it crack and the pieces ricocheted throughout the room. The broken phone fell to the ground along with other broken up pieces of technology that Jack threw around in his current rage. Since early that morning he has been getting notifications from his manager, secretary and many others have been trying to contact him due to multiple stories that are popping up about him. Normally this isn't something new, there's always something written about him. With his rise in dueling, he doesn't even bother to blink an eye at any sort of article about himself. This time however… the stories that are written are things he never spoke to any reporter…

Well… Except one.

Jack looked around the room trying to find hid phone but to only realize he had broken it in his fit of anger. Grinding his teeth together once he realized he had destroyed all his communication devices were all destroyed. Now the Dueler must go somewhere to make a couple of phone calls.

Jack forced out a frustrated sigh and ran a hand through his hair. He was not looking forward to returning to New Domino.

-.-.-

** _Coulrophobia: Crow Hogan_ **

Crow hands trembled excessively as he tightly gripped the newest edition of a Dueling magazine. One of the main stories of the magazine is a two-page article talking about his fear of… clowns. Out of all the things he wanted to be kept secret from the public is his fear of clowns.

How in the world did this person get this piece of information? He was always so careful with releasing certain information out to the public unless he wants to get back at one of his friends or rivals… that's a whole other issue.

'The only reporter I've ever told this to was Jack's girlfriend...'

-.-.-

"Aki? Please come out?"

"Any luck, Judy?"

"No… She hasn't come out of her room since she saw that online article about herself."

"What was that article about again?"

"…It was about her past…"

"Really? That's it? That's her past, we all moved forward and that's not her anymore."

"I know that! She doesn't know that… and every time I think I got somewhere, she finds something else online and I'm back at square one."

"How about her friends? Should we try and contact them?"

"…I do have her planner… I could check for any of their numbers…"

-.-.-

Leo and Luna scanned through every article that was created about their friends. The more they looked, the looks of horror grew and grew the more they found. They couldn't believe what was being said, it wasn't so much what was told lies, it was truths. Truths that was told in confidence and not meant to be known to the entire world.

"Who blabbed?"

Luna ignored her brother as he began to curse up a storm as she scanned through every article again and again. There was something familiar about each piece, the form of writing is familiar to her. In each article, the author true name is not stated. The name that was given is false after doing a background check, which only solidifies her assumption that the writer is protecting their name, or the stories were sold to the highest bidder for their own gain. Far as she knows, there is only one person that fits the criteria. Her only hopes she is terribly wrong about her assumption.

-.-.-

A nameless intern stared warily at the head of his department at said head stared into his tablet. The intern is extremely worried his tablet will get smashed into a million pieces or thrown over the railing to be smashed into a million pieces. Neither outcome is good. Especially reading what he just read on a tabloid site. "Sir?"

Yusei tensely handed the tablet back at the intern and stormed off. No wonder there are so many whispers that were sent his way, the giggles, harsh remarks and looks of sheer pity. He had just found out what had happened to Carly's work and many secrets she tried to keep in the dark of reality.

Pulling out his own phone, Yusei called the first number on his speed dial. He grinned his teeth together when his call was sent directly into voicemail. This repeated for several more times before he stopped calling and gruffly put the phone back in his back pocket. It appears either Carly lost her phone or found out about her articles being spread around and is hiding away from the world. That last thought made chills go down his spine and it was quickly replaced by a silent fury.

-.-.-

"She's locked herself in her room and is showing no signs of leaving at any time... Carly also locked the hallway bathroom that is connected to her room… I'll see what I can do here. I've called everywhere and I got some information on her apartment… The found are thieves and they are being extremely tight-lipped… Until then." Mina clicked her phone off with a heavy breath. "This is a mess…"

Mina knocked on Carly's door hoping to hear anything from the other side of the door. Even the smallest of movements will signify the slightest of hopes for her. After several minutes, Mina only shook her head at the silence. "I'm going to make us some lunch. Want me to make you anything?"

"Ramen." Came out a muffled reply.

Mina smiled momentarily but that quickly faltered at the tone of Carly's voice. Dry, cracked and felled with sorrow. With that in mind, Mina headed out towards the kitchen to make them lunch. With any hopes, Carly will come out even for a moment for Mina to see her.

-.-.-

Carly sat in the middle of her bed, all the blankets wrapped around her and the only light source is a tablet Yusei had previously given her. She was reading articles that was written of her friends, well depends on how they take reading their secrets that are now on blast. All the articles she recognizes as her own. Someone had taken her work and called it their own. Why didn't she destroy all those stories or better yet, why did she even put them in writing?

This is the main fear of every writer, having their writings stolen from them. Carly is currently living that nightmare and fears her world will come to an end. Why is it when things seem to be looking up for her, it goes up in flames because of her own self.

To be continued…

R/R.


	10. Chapter 10

A Long Search for Happiness

-.-.-

D/C: I own nothing

-.-.-

"Are they saying anything?"

"We managed to learn they were hired to specifically to break into Carly Carmine's apartment."

"Let me guess… whoever hired them, ordered them to take all of her electronics. Laptops, flash drives, and anything else a reporter would use to write their stories."

"Bingo. They have not yet given us the name of their employer, but I fear even if we get a name, your friend still does not have the proper evidence to take legal action until it is confirmed she wrote those articles."

"Understood."

-.-.-

Yusei parked his vehicle in front of Mina and Carly's home, hastily jumped out of it and locking it. Running up the steps to get to the front door, only for it to open for him to reveal his now anxious secretary. "How is she?"

"I managed to get her to eat something… and she is currently destroying all of her electronics…" Mina cringed when a loud bang that was quickly followed by a crash sounded throughout her home. She turned her head in the direction where the noise came from. "Along with hiding the laptop you gave her, but everything else is far gone now."

Yusei ran a hand through his hair and let out a troubled sigh. "There's something else, isn't there?"

Mina pursed lips momentarily before pulling out Carly's phone from her pocket. She gave the phone to Yusei as she closed the door behind him.

Yusei headed towards Carly's room while looking through the phone. Many missed phone calls, messages, emails and every sort of unread notifications from their friends and many others. What surprised him is the number of lost calls from Jack. By the looks of it, only one call was answered, and the rest were ignored. The messages that were sent to Carly caused anger and anguish within him.

A loud crash of glass breaking that was followed by a painful gasp. Without a moment of hesitation, Yusei quickly arrived at Carly's room and attempted to open the door to only see it was locked. He knocked on the door repeatedly. "Carly? Carly open the door. Carly!"

Yusei held his breath when he heard footsteps slowly stepped towards the door that stopped in front of the door. He only exhaled when the person on the other side of the door unlocked the door and slowly opened it enough for Carly to peek her head through. Her eyes red, tear stains running down her cheeks and a quiver on her lips that never seems to leave. "Carly…"

Without a moment of hesitation, Carly opened the door open and jumped onto Yusei to cry on his shoulder. Yusei wrapped his arms around Carly, holding her tightly against him. He whispered words of reassurance into her ear and rubbing her back to soothe her.

"They weren't supposed to be seen by the public…" Carly sobbed into Yusei's shoulder, both arms wrapped around his neck. She unknowingly kept one of her arms in an awkward angle, as blood dripped down onto the floor from jagged wound starting from mid-palm nearly close to her wrist. Her emotional pain overpowering her physical pain, and the only thing that she seeks is comfort. "They were just for mine to remember and to see!"

Yusei only tightened his grasp around Carly, only continuing to whisper reassurances to her. "You kept them because they reminded you for your friends."

"Not after today, they hate me!"

"I don't hate you."

"They took my article about you're supposed romance with Aki, fear to bugs and and and and-" Carly couldn't continue one as a sob broke through and buried her face in Yusei's shoulder to muffle out her crying. Whatever she said next came out a whimpering and blubbering mess. Yusei could only continue whispering in her ear, rubbing her back and mentally going over what he needed to do for the future. One thing for sure for right now, Carly needed him for now and Yusei will be there as long as she needs him to be.

"Carly! What did you do to your arm!" Mina yelled out from down the hall.

Yusei tensed momentarily, moved Carly away from him to take hold of her arms to see that blood covered her left hand and now onto his own. He wondered how long ago the injury occurs and how much blood Carly had lost due to it. "Please tell me you didn't do this on purpose…?"

Carly shook her head repeatedly, denying the injury. The shaking of her head only made her feel lightheaded and everything seemed to be fading out. She could feel someone took hold of her and yelling out something to her, just not being able to make out what was being said. Her body being pulled at random directions, senses on overdrive and wondering if she was going to make out alright. The darkness was never her close friend, it only reminded her of how lonely and unloved she is.

Love?

Why did love pop into her mind?

Why does love seem to be associated with many dark emotions she had never wanted to feel in her entire life.

The last time she felt such high emotion, it was heavily clouded by this darkness Carly never felt before and that terrified her. It terrified her that she felt certain darkness from within her where she has no clue how it got there but knows it had to do with that blank period in her mind.

-.-.-

"By the looks of it, she threw her lamp into a glass table… yes, I know. Glass table, bad idea… She threw the lamp against the table, the table broke but the lamp did not… Yeah, wanted to break the lamp but cut her hand opens when trying to get hold of it…" Mina scanned through Carly's now trashed room with trash bags in hand. She had a Bluetooth earpiece on and her phone in the back pocket all the while communication with Yusei on the other side of the line, describing the room. "They have her on watch? She's not going to take that well… I understand. Keep me updated… I think I found her deck… should I bring it over?"

Mina picked up Carly's deck, perfectly safe in its deck holder. She swore a wave of sorrow showered over her when she even touched it but shook it off as she clipped the holder to her back pocket. "I shouldn't?... Yeah, they might make things worse for now… Has she woken up?"

Looking around the room, Mina quickly realized she needed to give it a good sweeping due to the shards to glass stern around. Including a good set of gloves that will not tear that easily in case, she missed any piece of glass. "She hasn't still?... No, she isn't on speaking terms with any of her immediate family… only three of us are on her immediate contact list… If anyone asks, tell them you're her boyfriend… You still haven't made it official?... Well, you two are 'together'… Okay, keep me updated."

Mina shook her head as the called ended, looks like Carly and Yusei still haven't made their relationship official. It's been a while since they started dating, but whenever the subject of being in an official relationship, they both balk at the idea. Hopefully, now, there could be a chance to finally confirm to something for their own sakes. Carly is going to need all the support for the upcoming days.

-.-.-

Shadows.

Hummingbirds.

The constant need to prove herself.

The need to prove herself to someone.

An indistinctive whisper keeps trying to get her attention. To only hush up whenever she attempts to listen to the whisper.

Then…a soft-touch caught her attention and light-flooded her vision.

-.-.-

Yusei sat in an uncomfortable plastic chair, one arm resting on the bed while holding Carly's hand. He skimmed his thumb over Carly's thumb absentmindedly. The researcher and current King kept looking at the cuffs that bound the blogger and former reporter to the bed. Her free arm is heavily bandaged and hiding the stitches and future scar. 'Please wake up…'

With a heavy sigh, Yusei stood up and let go of Carly's hand. He tenderly placed her hand back on the bed and placed a kiss on her forehead. "I'll be right back, going to look for a doctor."

"Hmm…" Carly's face scrunched up at the touch but did not wake up from her slumber.

With one last kiss, Yusei turned around and walked out of the room while pulling out his phone. "Kiryu? I need you to come to New Domino… You're already here?... We're at the General Hospital… Call Mina, she'll explain everything."

"Yusei…?"

Yusei quickly hung up the phone and turned around to see Carly looking at up from the cot with tired eyes. "Carly…"

"Are you leaving too?"

To be continued…

R/R.


	11. Chapter 11

A Long Search for Happiness

-.-.-

D/C: I own nothing

-.-.-

"Only people that are on this list can visit or call Miss. Carmine. I apologize for any inconveniences."

"I need to know if Yusei Fudo is there with her?"

"Of course, he is, lovely young man. He's been watching over her since his girlfriend arrived. Now if you would excuse me, I have other patients that require my attention."

-Click-

'Why in the hell is_ Yusei_ is there with Carly? Let alone the fact they are… _together_!'

-.-.-

Bouquet after bouquet of flowers filled Carly's room, among the bouquets are figurines of fairies and pixies filled the room. Not even a day later of her stay at the hospital, her friends had showered her with affection and protected her from the outside world. They made sure the television is shut off, or at least turned on to some random movie. Only a small list of people are allowed to contact or visit her, and it seemed like everyone is making sure there won't be a repeat of what occurred yesterday.

"You're awake!"

Carly turned to see Yusei walking into the room, carrying yet another bouquet of flowers that contained more fairies and pixies figurines. "I just woke up. Do you know when I get to leave?"

Yusei remained quiet as he walked over towards the other bunches of flowers and placed his own among the others. "The doctors consider you a high risk considering…"

Yusei looked up at the blank television.

"…Are they still airing my articles?"

"…Yes."

"Ah… Is there another reason I'm still here? I'm no longer chained up to the bed, would that consider I'm no longer a risk to myself or to anyone?"

"Let me answer that for you, Miss. Carmine."

Carly and Yusei turned to see a doctor walk into the room, carrying a clipboard and pulling out a folder out of a basket that was connected to the door. The doctor looked over at Yusei and then at Carly. "Does it matter if I say this in front of your partner or…?"

"Partner?" Carly looked over at Yusei to him looking at her with a manic expression. He made a motion for her to continue with whatever the doctor was saying. "I don't mind him here."

The doctor didn't look convinced but continued. He closed the door to ensure privacy and stood at the foot of Carly's bed as he read over her charts. "We had taken off the restraints after your healthcare proxy made us certain that… you were not at risk of hurting yourself or anyone else around you. However, we are going to keep you here for the full 72 hours and have you through a more thorough exam before you leave. On another note, you are dehydrated and in need of nutrients."

The doctor turned to look at Yusei. "Make sure she eats the food herself. The last thing we need is her hiding it. She has a history of doing so."

"Isn't that supposed to be confidential!"

"Not if your healthcare proxy states it."

"…I don't like the food here…"

Yusei attempted to cover his laughter but it came out as a snort that caused Carly to glare at him. In response, the Researcher looked away all too innocently.

-.-.-

"Like I said, Jack!... Carly was not at fault here! Her apartment was broken into and they grabbed all her electr-…. Oh! So, you're more worried about those damn articles than her!... Listen here, I don't know what you said to her yesterday, but it left her in bad shape… You know what, you are an ass! AN ASS!" Mina terminated her call with Jack, she attempted to tell him Carly's side of the whole situation and figure out what he said that caused her to… Mina shook her head not wanting to remember what had previously occurred in her home. The guy is still the same man she had known for all that time she worked under him. Always thinking of himself.

No matter how much Mina attempted to get Jack to see that Carly is a victim just as much as him but no. He was more pissed off that she keeps all that information in the first place. Stating like it was her own personal black book… To think that Jack would ever see Carly in such a negative light… the mere thought has Mina wondering what she ever saw in that man in the first place.

With a heavy sigh, Mina dialed another number and hoped this person will have some sort of compassion… or not yell in her ear non-stop. "Crow Hogan?"

"Er… Who is this?"

"My name is Mina Simington, I used to be Jack's assistant..."

"Why are you calling me? I thought you no longer worked for him."

"True, I now work for Yusei. The reason I am making this call has to do with the article that was written about you. I hope… I hope you will understand what had transpired around it."

"Talk."

-.-.-

Jack drove his D-Wheeler up towards the building where he knew Carly is living at. He promptly parked and yanked off his helmet as he stormed into the apartment complex. He had just arrived back at Neo Domino and his first stop is a visit to what he assumed to be a… well… at this point, Jack doesn't even know what to think about Carly anymore.

The only thing that Jack has in his mind is to give Carly a piece of his mind, how in the world were all those articles posted for the entire world to see! She promised him that none of it would be seen by the light of day. Even if they were not publicized under her name, he knew her writing style.

It all screamed Carly to him.

Jack just can't accept the fact Carly could ju-

Stopping in front of Carly's apartment door, there was police tape over it, and it made Jack think of the worse. He was going to reach for the doorknob, someone called out to him.

"The room is closed off for a reason, state your business."

Jack turned around slowly and saw two individuals dressed in suits walking out of another apartment. "And you two are to ask me that?"

The two men looked at each other and back at Jack, they pulled out badges from their person signifying them to be detectives of Neo Domino. "Agent Bones and this is Special Agent Milo, we are in charge of what occurred behind those doors."

"…What happened?"

"Bones, we already caught the main culprits. This is Jack Atlas, remember our notes? A couple of the neighbors stated he stayed with the victim for a couple of weeks."

"Oh right… Jack Atlas, we are investigating what had occurred in the apartment behind you. You wouldn't happen to know what happened, would you?"

"Is… is Carly alright?"

"If you consider being on suicide watch alright, the-"

Smack-

"Hey! What was that for, Milo!"

"Bones… that's the last thing you want to say to a possible suspect."

-.-.-

Carly and Yusei quietly stared at each other, tightly holding each other hands. They had said what was needed to be said. Their worries, doubts, thoughts, and dreams. Mostly, considering what had occurred recently and their emotions running on high as fear seemed to be overtaking them and that same fear is holding them back still.

"I… right now, I don't think I am capable of…. I want to be fully ready before I could fully devote …" Carly looked away from Yusei, guilt consumed her and didn't want to disappoint Yusei. She did want to have something with Yusei, but at this point in her life, it isn't a good time. Right now, she needed to figure out who had taken her belongings that caused her life to flip upside down massively. Carly turned to face Yusei when she felt him raise her hands to his lips. He lightly kissed her hands and gave her a warm smile, his eyes filled with complete understanding and relief at her words. "Yusei…?"

"I'll be standing by your side for however long for the both of us to be in the right place."

"This is soooooo adorable!"

Carly and Yusei turned their heads to suddenly see they had an audience.

"Kiryu/Mina!"

To be continued…

R/R.


	12. Chapter 12

A Long Search for Happiness

-.-.-

D/C: I own nothing.

-.-.-

Jack ground his teeth together, cursing out his D-Wheeler for not going faster. He just went through a supposed interrogation and finding out what had occurred to Carly, the blonde didn't know who to hate or to place his anger at, at this moment in time. The moment he read those articles, he allowed his anger to consume him and the aftermath is irreversible.

Mina attempted to tell him what had happened, and Jack refused to listen.

And that phone call…What Jack said to Carly caused a tremendous amount of guilt to grow within. Karma. He could already hear that voice in the back of his mind chiding him for his actions, and it sounded awfully like Yusei. Unnervingly so.

Now, after hearing Carly is on… suicide watch and that it could very well… no, might as well be his own fault.

-.-.-

Yusei watched on as Carly finished the tray of food one of the nurses dropped off for her to eat. It took a while to persuade Carly to eat the… tasteless food, but after promising that he will get her something edible to eat, if she ate her food.

Jell-O or pudding.

This did catch Carly's attention and, begrudgingly, ate her lunch. Two more days before she's able to be released from the hospital with a bill of full health. The atmosphere around the room is peaceful, could even be possibly described as nearly perfect.

"When do you have to go back to work?" Carly asked, shoving the empty tray away from her after she finished her food.

"Not until you get out of here. Mina said I have too many sick days that the higher-ups would have forced me to take a break before they break some rule or law." Yusei shrugged, he picked up the tray and placed it elsewhere to keep it out of the way. He was about to sit on the uncomfortable chair next to Carly's cot but said now blogger moved just enough so that he could sit on the cot with her. The two laid on the cot, talking to each other about anything to everything.

"We should go to the park!" Carly smiled, remembering the time she and Yusei had their play date at the park. "We should get ice-cream!"

Yusei smiled fondly as Carly chatted away on what she wanted to do once she's discharged from the hospital. It varied from as mentioned, going to the park, going to get ice-cream, to that small café where they had their first café and several other places that hears like fun. When Carly mentioned on wanting to go visit Martha, a mass of warmth filled throughout Yusei. The fact she has his mother figure at the forefront of her mind has him. He wondered what his life would have been if had met Carly earlier in his life. Who knows what would have happened if that had occurred… "Would you like to go to Popo Time? I'm still paying rent there and it's the perfect place to hide away from the world."

"Except Mina and Kiryu." Carly pointed out.

"Point taken…" Yusei began to pick up the now empty tray and placed it on a trolley that was rolled into the room with the food. "We'll go to Popo Time, I've been meaning to go there anyway… It's the best way to get away from the world."

"I… I would love to go there."

-.-.-

Jack's eyes narrowed as several nurses walked passed him before he continued making his way around the hospital. He had managed to sneak into the hospital earlier in hopes of locating Carly. He had managed to overhear a doctor the room number where she is being held in. What really caught his interest is the fact Carly is not alone in the room right now. This guest has the nurses giggling and gossiping on how adorable Carly is with this… another person.

The reactions coming from the nurses in the hospital and they went on about this person. Feelings of anger that was fueled by jealousy filled within him. It nearly took him an hour to recompose himself before he could continue with his search. He is Jack Atlas and Jack Atlas does not get jealous!

Continuing with his search, Jack expression turned serious as he finally found the room. His hands clenched into fists. Taking in a deep breath through his nose and let it out through his mouth before he reached down and opened the door. What he saw on the other side of the door made his eyes go wide and his jaw to drop in complete shock.

-.-.-

Carly shyly reached up to pull on Yusei's shirt to pull him down to her eye level. Her brows furrowed in concentration as she stared at Yusei's face in contemplation. She began to move towards him but hesitated before she could continue. Yusei gave her a smile before he moved to kiss her forehead. There was a time and place for everything, as he was about to repeat his actions when he heard the door open. The sharp gasp caused him and Carly to look over to see Jack standing at the doorway, staring at them in complete shock.

To be continued…

R/R.


	13. Chapter 13

A Long Search for Happiness

-.-.-

D/C: I own nothing.

-.-.-

Yusei held an ice pack against his mouth, glaring at his _brother _who is holding one against his own left eye. They were in an empty office, with Mina watching over them while she rapidly talked into her phone. It was not helping how she was glaring at Jack and would occasionally do the same to Yusei to keep him quiet.

Mina promptly ended the call and threw her phone into her purse. She breathed heavily through her nose, wondering what she should say or do at this point. It was supposed to be a simple day, just visit Carly and Yusei, informing them that their trip to Popo Time is set for them to go. Just a simple day… then she saw security running towards the room designated to Carly. By the time Mina got there, she saw Jack punched Yusei, who promptly retaliated. It took several underhanded measures to get both men into the room and old contacts to not get both men banned from the hospital.

None of them could stay with Carly as she had… well… from what Mina was told, Carly is going to be kept under observation. It was heavily implied that she is not to go near Jack and for the time being, Yusei too.

"What the h-"

"Jack… Shut. Up. Just… shut up." Mina grounded out; she ran her hand through her hair as she tried to find the right words to say. She turned her attention to Jack, causing the man to lean back in his seat. "Why are you here? You made it clear you did not want anything to do with her and not wanting to listen to reason! I tried to tell you, _someone _stole all her articles and sold them everywhere. You just had to be you and get-do not interrupt me. On top of that, you left. You left and you did not even bother with her existence unless it you wanted to use her for one thing or another. You left her devastated!"

For his own part, Jack kept his gaze down on the outdated tile floor. He wanted to refute it all, but he knew he nothing to stand on. He held so much regret for his actions, but he had personal reasons for pushing Carly away. Anger consuming him over the articles that were supposed to have been kept in the dark. There was so much he did which he could no longer take back now.

Still… when the hell did Yusei and Carly get so chummy with each other? Far as Jack knew, Carly never spoke to Yusei one on one about anything. Sure, she could have gotten an interview but to be this close? No way.

Jack turned his attention back to Yusei to only see the other male glaring at him while still pressing the ice pack on his cheek. "Since when did you become so close to Carly?"

"She lost her job because she refused to sell her articles about you." Yusei said grimly. He kept his gaze towards general direction where he knew Carly's room is located.

"You didn't answer my question. Didn't you have something going on with Akiza?"

Silence.

Yusei shook his head at Jack's attempt to change the subject. "This is about Carly, not about Akiza. You should leave Carly alone, Jack. She's going through a lot and the last thing we need is another article being spread around on why Jack Atlas attacked Yusei Fudo in a hospital."

"Oh, I could see that." Mina huffed out. "Former and Current Champion's, fighting over the cute Reporter. If this gets out, she'll hide away in my home for who knows how long. Or maybe she will hide at Yusei's place while it blows over."

This only seemed to upset Jack even more. "So, there is something going on between the two of you?"

Yusei could only let out an exhausted sigh. It is a simply yes or no question. The answer to said question is extremely complicated and something he wishes to not discuss with anyone, let alone with Jack.

"They've been seeing each other for the last couple of months." Mina answered for Yusei, causing said male to freeze up. "Whatever is going on between them, is between them. Just them."

-.-.-

Carly could not tell the difference between memories or dreams. Or perhaps they were nightmares? Yes, that. That is what it is. Nightmares. Constant nightmares of her dueling… of her becoming a dark dueler.

The start of every nightmare is her dying due to the collapse of a building she was hiding in. Instead of death, darkness consumed her with the promise of fulfilling her heart's darkest wishes. The ending of every nightmare resulted with Carly dying once more but in the arms of someone. At the beginning, she would die in the arms of Jack but lately, the image started to shift to someone else.

TBC.


	14. Chapter 14

A Long Search for Happiness

-.-.-

D/C: I own nothing.

-.-.-

Carly slowly walked into the garage in Popo Time with Yusei along side of her. After just being released from the hospital, they both traveled to the location nonstop in order to avoid any paparazzi and Jack. More so the paparazzi at this point considering they both knew Jack knew the location but not knowing they would be there. Hopefully, Mina will make sure he doesn’t leave the city to come here any time soon.

“We could go back if you want to?” Yusei asked, unlocking the main entrance that lead into the garage.

Carly only shook her head at the offer. “I rather be far away from the city and wait for everything to blow over. Which… at this rate will probably never happen.”

Yusei paused. He’s not really surprised by her words or blame her for not wanting to go back to New Domino anytime soon. With the arrival of Jack at the hospital and the… fight, between them both, it caught media attention. Not the good kind either. The reporter who got there first was none other than Angela and the tale she spun made them all wonder how she still managed to stay has a viable source of news. The only thing Angela cares for is to get something out at the expense of others. “We’ll stay here for as long as you want to.”

“What about you? Your work? Your lab?” Carly asked, realization hitting her at the aspect of Yusei leaving here alone. “Yusei, this is serious!”

“I… may of…” Yusei opened the door to the garage to reveal it had a massive makeover. The entire place looked very reminiscent to his lab back in the city. Everyone in the place got either fixed up, upgraded or simply replaced. The walls are a metallic grayish blue, futuristic looking furniture and there was a set up for where Yusei could do his work. “Bringing my work here with me.”

“Oh…”

-.-

It wasn’t awkward or tense. If anything, Carly and Yusei felt more at peace with the silence. Carly writing in a notebook and Yusei typing away at a nearby desk that contained a computer system, doing some work. There are times that Carly or Yusei will glance at the other, before quickly going back to their work. Neither one of them wanted to break the silence.

The silence was fare more comfortable than having to accidently bring up a… sore subject.

A sharp ringing interrupted that silence, causing them to look at the phone charging away next to Yusei. Yusei, absentmindedly, reached up to his ear where he had an earpiece connected to the phone. “Fudo… Akiza?… What do-… It’s not her fault, someone had robbed them… Akiza… Akiza… _Akiza_, she did not sell them or publish the under a different name. Someone took stole her articles, she had nothing to do with their publishing.”

Carly hid her face in her notebook, she wondered if she should leave or stay. It was clear the topic of conversation is about her… and about those articles…

“I’m not going to tell you where we are… Yes, she’s with me… No, I’m not going to pass the phone to her… Akiza, that’s between me and her…” Yusei paused, making Carly wonder what Akiza could have said to make him go silent for so long. “Carly and I don’t have a clear define _label_ for our relationship. However, I know I want to be by her side and we both know that we want to be together when we are in the right place… No Akiza, I choose my path and you choose yours… I can’t answer that, I just know that she is special to me… She’s not at fault, remember that.”

Yusei reached up and pressed a button on the earpiece to end the call. Carly watched as his right hand slowly closed into a tight fist, slowly placed it down on the table. She now really wished she had left the room when Yusei brought down his fist against the table with an audible slam. “Yusei?”

Yusei visibly tensed, it didn’t take a full minute before he fully relaxed and promptly took out the earpiece. He wondered if he should have gone to another room for the phone call or at least made sure at least she wasn’t in earshot. Then, in the back of his mind, a flashback onto what had happened to Carly when Jack had confronted her about his own private articles being published without his consent or knowledge. “It was Akiza… she called abo-”

“Did she call about the articles or did she call about us?” Carly questioned, cutting Yusei off. At this point, she didn’t care if she’s being blunt. People breaking into her apartment, stealing her articles, the publications of said articles, and the results of said publications, it finally got to her. She is tired and trying to convince people otherwise that she was not for it all, proves to be more than she can handle. Mina and Yusei could very well handle it, and Carly just wants it all to be over with. There was no point in sugar coating anything, all of it will just end up hurting her more in the end.

“Both, leaning more towards the both of us. She’s under the belief you had the articles published to get under her skin to uh…” Yusei grew silent towards the end, huddling into himself as he wanted to either hide from nervousness or annoyance, at whatever Akiza had said to him. “That you had them published in an attempt to make a jab at her for whatever reason.”

“…Did Jack call her and told her what happened at the hospital?”

“He did.”

“…Jack was under the belief there was something going on between the both of you.”

“I see…”

Yusei slowly took in a deep breath, he swiveled around in his chair to see Carly staring at him from the couch. From his spot, the light had capture Carly’s glasses, making it possible to see her grey eyes he could possibly say, fell in love with. “She got worried that you were possibly double-timing Jack with me and using me to up your career as a reporter. With Jack calling her, it only made things worse. That and…”

“You two grew to have feelings for each other… but it faded as time went by.” Carly provided.

Yusei nodded, he crossed his arms over his chest, his mind filled with all his final interactions with Akiza before she left for schooling. Did he have feelings for her at some point, yes. Did he ever follow through with them, no. It just felt it was not the right time and with so much time had passed by, those feelings were transferred over to his work as their communication became stagnant and well… with Carly coming into the picture, it was when things were really put into perspective. “Jack called her, under the belief that her and I were together. Akiza, believes that you had seduced me, under the belief that you are only using me to up your career. Yes, she’s horrified at the articles, but more so at the thought of you using me.”

“Seduced?” Carly deadpanned. “Me? Seducing you? I don’t have enough grace, let alone the know-how on how to seduce anyone. Let alone you.”

“Oh? Really, now?”

-.-

“They were both lonely and they just were drawn to each other because of it. Yeah, it sounds sappy, but they are both very happy with each other.” Mina sighed, sniffing deeply at her highly caffeinated drink Stephanie just served her. “Jack, I believe, expected Carly to wait for him.”

“That she shouldn’t move on with her life and to continue living in the past?” Stephanie provided, getting a nod of approval from Mina.

“In a nutshell. After what happened in the hospital… Jack isn’t ready to let go and let Carly to continue on living her own life.”

“Where is he right now?”

“Jack? Oh, he’s been trying to figure out where she moved to and where she is right now. I have Trudge make sure he doesn’t leave the city.” Mina snorted into her drink. “Carly and Yusei are having one on one time, and the last thing we need is someone barging into their moments of solitude with either sheer stupidity or complete exasperation.”

-.-

If there was one thing Crow would have never expected to see walking into Popo Time, is seeing Yusei kissing Jack’s supposed reporter girlfriend… So when he quickly ran out the door, shutting it loudly behind himself and he attempted to gain his breathing what he saw was just a trick of his eyes… Crow turned right around and knocked on the door, which what he should have done in the first place.

Could you blame him? He thought no one was at the location. No one. Yeah, he didn’t call ahead but… HE THOUGHT NO ONE WAS HERE!!!!

Slowly the door opened to reveal a clearly annoyed Yusei, his clothes look disheveled and hair out of place. “What.”

“…WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING HERE!!!!”

TBC.


	15. Chapter 15

A Long Search for Happiness

-.-

D/C: I own nothing.

-.-

“What do you mean, you’re not in a relationship????”

Carly and Yusei sat on a couch, one horrified while the other looked miffed at the line of questioning. At the mention of not being in a relationship, despite the fact they got caught making out and with Carly now nearly sitting entirely on Yusei’s lap, hiding her face into the crook of his neck.

“Well?” Crow glared at the two, waiting for an answer. “What is going on?”

Carly avoided eye contact with both Yusei and Crow, she could feel her face heating up. She’ll never be able to face Crow after this, then again. She hardly talked to the guy in the first place. But he’s one of Yusei’s closes friends. There is no way she could avoid him for the rest of her life.

“It’s…” Yusei struggled to find the right word. He ran his hands through his hair through his hair. No matter what he’ll say to Crow, his friend with will assume something else entirely. Which would result with him quickly running off and tell everyone in their friend group. Something he does not want to happen. “Look, it’s hard to explain.”

“Hard to explain! Yeah, I get that! I thought you and Akiza were a thing, Yusei? And that Jack had a thing for his Reporter Girl.” Crow still tried to make sense of things.

“…was that what he called me? Reporter Girl?” Carly quietly asked, hunching over. This allowed her hair to fall over her, hiding her face. “He should stop calling me that… I’m no longer a reporter. I got fired from that job.”

“Wait… then how…?” Crow took a step back, face scrunched up as he tried to process that bit of information. Mina had more or less told him what had happened when those articles about him got out. That supposedly Jack’s gi…Carly’s belongings got stolen, to be more precise. All her electronic devices that contained a memory bank. Many of which contained unpublished articles or notes that are never meant to see the light of day. That’s all he was told. Now he sees… Carly and Yusei… being a thing… Shaking his head at the thought, he’ll deal with that at another time. “Okay… start from the beginning. From when you two first started talking to each other.”

“It started with a simple playdate…”

-.-

Crow rubbed his temples, thinking over what he was just told. “Let me get this straight… Mina set up a meeting between the both of you, due to you-”

Crow gave Yusei a pointed look. “Needed to be interviewed and Mina knew someone to do the job. Carly came into the picture as Mina owed her the favor of getting her job and her need of a break due to losing her job as a reporter. Which she lost because she refused sell any of the articles, she wrote on all of us. But before that, it was decided for Yusei get to know you more before giving an interview.”

Now, Crow turned his attention over to Carly. “Which, hasn’t happened yet.”

Yusei couldn’t help but wince before frowning at the thought. The notes Carly had written down, which he approved, for the big interview, was stolen. “Cr-”

“Because said notes were stolen along with everything else-” Crow hurriedly added, sensing the mood drop between Yusei and Carly. “And what’s where uh… we are now…? Sort of?”

Carly covered her face with her hands. “Jack…I don’t even know why Jack even bothered to look for me after what he said to me.”

Crow shot Yusei a look, and only got a frown in return. He mouthed to the other, asking what had happened.

“Jack went to the hospital. We got into a fight. Which resulted with us hiding here.”

“We came here mainly because I wanted to get away from the fallout of seeing my… work everywhere.” Carly corrected glumly. She then shot Yusei a look. “That and Jack punched Yusei… when he saw us hugging.”

“Please tell me that isn’t some sort of innuendo…” Crow pulled a face, earning him another sharp glare.

-.-

“Crow is there!?!” Mina slapped her forehead at the thought of Crow crashing the Yusei and Carly’s alone time. “He saw what? Wait… you and Yusei were doing… Naughty, Naughty! Carly, I never thought you had that in you!... Oh? He has muscles?... Ugh, so close yet so far…”

Mina pulled up his tablet and started to look up somethings. “Do you think you’re ready for the update?”

A short pause.

“We got in contact with all the _journalists _that published your stories… it’s a red herring.”


End file.
